Alibaba founder Jack Ma missing for over 2 months now, here's what we know so far

Reuters photo

BEIJING: Alibaba founder and Chinese billionaire Jack Ma has reportedly gone missing for over two months now following his controversial speech in October in which he severe criticised the regulation system of China and called the banks 'pawnshops'.

The tech tycoon has not made any public appearance since November 2019. In fact, he did not appear in the final episode of his own talent show, Africa’s Business Heroes, thus deeping the mystery around his whereabouts.

UK’s Telegraph reported that Alibaba founder was supposed to be a part of the judging panel in November final but he was replaced by an Alibaba executive. Surprisingly, Jack Ma's picture was also removed from the website.

It is being speculated that Jack Ma's wrangle with China's authoritarian regime has led to a crackdown on his business in the country and his disappearance from public space. 

Jack Ma's trouble with the Chinese government first began when he gave a speech criticising China's regulators and state-owned banks for their 'backwardness'. His remarks are said to have infuriated Beijing's party brass, leading to Chinese President Xi Jinping to personally order a halt to the offering by Alibaba's financial affiliate company, Ant Financial, which was set to raise USD 34 billion in the biggest stock-market debut in history, reported Hollywood Reporter.

In early November, Beijing cancelled the IPO of Ant Financial, while in late December, Chinese regulators announced that they would launch an antitrust investigation into Alibaba's e-commerce business, as well as enforcing new rules to curb Ant's business activities. These new enforcements led to a decline in Alibaba's shares and Jack Ma`s personal wealth.

According to a report by The New York Times, Jack Ma publicly castigated financial regulators for being obsessed with minimising risk and accused China's banks of behaving like 'pawnshops' by lending only to those who could put up collateral.

"Based on my understanding, what President Xi said about 'enhancing governing ability' meant orderly regulation to maintain healthy and sustainable development, not just regulation without development," NHK World quoted Jack Ma. The report mentioned that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) seems more than willing to tap into a long-running resentment of the rich, which could mean trouble ahead for Chinese entrepreneurs and private businesses under Xi Jinping.

Of late, China has been stepping up efforts to curb the influence of big tech companies like Alibaba and Tencent.

In November, China released draft regulations aimed at preventing these firms from colluding to share sensitive consumer data, forming agreements to block out smaller rivals and engaging in other anticompetitive behaviour, reported The Wall Street Journal.

In addition, a meeting of the CCP's Politburo, chaired by Xi in early December pledged to strengthen antimonopoly efforts next year and to 'prevent the disorderly expansion of capital', a message seen as portending a larger crackdown on internet giants. 

Jack Ma is said to be a key target of these new policies. The Wall Street Journal also reported that Beijing is seeking to shrink Jack Ma's technology and financial empire and potentially take a larger stake in his businesses, according to some Chinese officials and government advisers familiar with the matter, while regulators zero in on the billionaire in a campaign to strengthen control of an increasingly influential tech domain.

(With ANI inputs)